© 2014 sarahfortune.

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Mom to Iris. Wife to Todd. Our little family lives at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. We love it here and I love sharing little bits of our life.

© 2014 sarahfortune.
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Category : Travel

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Loews Chicago Hotel

You may have noticed that we’ve been traveling quite a bit this year. I haven’t tallied up just how many trips I’ve been on, but between work travel and family exploration, I’d be willing to bet that 2016 is my most adventurous year yet. Things haven’t slowed down now that it’s winter either. This past Thanksgiving weekend we road-tripped all the way to Chicago to simply explore the city.

The Loews Chicago Hotel hosted our stay and was the perfect home base to play tourist. We checked-in on Thanksgiving evening and were happy to see the lobby already decked out for the holidays. We made our way up to our room, where Iris was thrilled to find her very own tent and “campfire” set up to stay warm. As part of the Snowed Inn package, this also came with homemade cookies and hot chocolate delivered to our room for Iris and valet parking for me (in downtown Chicago that’s an amazing score).

We were in the Windy City for three nights and two full days, but the first morning was actually spent driving to Munster, Indiana. Yeah… You read that right – beautiful Munster! Turns out, it’s quite the destination for beer lovers and only about 45 minutes away from the hotel. Home of 3 Floyds Brewing, Todd stocked up on their famous Zombie Dust Pale Ale while we filled up on a surprisingly delicious meal at the restaurant side of the brewery.

After that random detour, we headed back over to the Loews where, thanks to the perfect-o location, we didn’t need to drive again during our stay. With our car safely tucked away in its valet spot, we walked nearly everywhere. We hoofed it to the Magnificent Mile for a little shopping, Navy Pier for a little Ferris Wheel riding, the Chicago Children’s Museum for a little exploring, the famous “Bean” for a little photo taking, and Maggie Daley Park for a little playing.

We also were able to walk to some incredible food and drinks around town: Pasta at Rosebud on Rush, Eataly for a nice little happy hour, and devoured Stan’s Donuts for breakfast. And it didn’t hurt that there was a Starbucks perfectly situated when we got of the hotel elevator every morning. On our last day we wanted to venture a little farther, so we took an Uber over to Willis Tower where we used our CityPasses and braved the SkyDeck. From there we Ubered even further over to the Wicker Park neighborhood where we ate pizza at Piece Pizza and got some treats from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.

Exploring made us exhausted each day, but coming “home” to the comfort of our hotel room was a treat all in itself. The beds were beyond comfy and the view was incredible. Looking out through the high-rises, we could see Lake Michigan and even the Ferris Wheel back at Navy Pier. We had quite the adventure in Chicago, but I would have been just as thrilled to have stayed in and relaxed all day. Maybe another trip is in order…

Travel

Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis – A Lovely Little Getaway!

So there’s this thing that we’ve been kind of obsessed with… It’s quite large, is home to a big shiny metal thing, and is about five hours away.

You guessed it, the city of St. Louis! We’ve been three times now for little getaways and love it more with each visit. This trip we had the privilege of staying at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, which was STUNNING. Located right by the river, we had an amazing view of The Arch along with the charm of downtown.

Iris with her bags packed and ready to hit the road!

Once we rolled into town we had a little time to kill before check-in, so we stopped by a local brewery that we hadn’t yet tried, Urban Chestnut Grove Brewery & Bierhall. After a beer and an awesome lunch, we decided to surprise Iris with a trip to her most favorite thing to do in St. Louis – explore The City Museum. We didn’t tell her we were going, so as soon as we pulled up and she saw all of the crazy structures, she was thrilled.

After a couple hours (and a couple drinks for me – did I mention they serve grown-up drinks at the museum?), we ventured towards the Four Seasons which was only about a mile away. Like I said, the location is fab. At check-in we were greeted first by the aroma. You always know you’re staying somewhere nice when it smells like a spa in heaven when you walk through the doors. From there, the sweet staff took amazing care of not only myself and Todd, but most importantly – Iris. Toys to borrow and coloring books at check-in? Yes, please!

They didn’t even mind that Iris danced all over the lobby.

When we got to our room, I was officially won over with the beautiful comforts (I love a great hotel), while Iris was officially sold with the special treats left for us – and the television hidden in the bathroom mirror.

Usually when we stay in a hotel, we get two double beds and Iris gets her own. How that’s fair, I have no idea… That said, this time we opted to give her a rollaway bed and I was a little jealous. They positioned it right by the floor-to-ceiling windows, so she looked out over the river and Arch. Not to mention, it was nearly more comfortable than my bed back home. It was all good though, because Todd and I had the king bed to ourselves (except for when Iris used it to watch a little YouTube and for a little bed jumping).

That night we took a short stroll and found some dinner at a local brew pub. We could actually see the restaurant out of our room window – and it’s one of the oldest brewpubs in St. Louis. After dinner and back at the hotel, we grabbed a drink at the bar, which once again overlooks the Arch. I swear there’s not a bad view in this place.

Exploring the neighborhood.

Not exactly sad that this little museum was closed…

Cheers! I may have ordered a glass to take back to my room.

The next morning was Thanksgiving and we were able to sleep in a bit. After watching a bit of the local parade (on TV and a tiny sliver of it out our window), we made our way down to Thanksgiving brunch. Our meal is worthy of its very own blog post, so I’ll fill you in on that and other Four Seasons special events very soon!

Special thanks to the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis for hosting our stay! While our stay was sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Life, Travel

Colorado Springs

I just woke up in my own bed after most of the week away. I’m not sure if it was a blessing or a curse to be traveling so far away from home on election day, but at least where went was absolutely, naturally gorgeous. I attended a conference for work in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor. The property was stunning, the views were even better. On the last night my friend Laura even drove down from Boulder to keep me company.


Being my last work trip of the year, I feel like I’m now home and able to look towards the holidays! Even though that means more travel – This year we’re doing something a little more unique for Thanksgiving and skipping town. After having a Thanksgiving dinner with my mom, we’re headed for St. Louis and then Chicago for a few days to explore. We’ll only be in St. Louis for one night, but if you have any suggestions for Chicago, please send them my way!

Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Heber Springs Getaway

The month of September I pretty much felt like I was on tour. I kept my bags packed since I was traveling more than I was at home. I didn’t mind though. In fact, I kind of loved it. For the grand finale of my September travels, we went to visit Todd’s dad and stepmom in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Earlier this year they bought a house on the Little Red River, which was the perfect spot to escape to considering the day before I was in Las Vegas for work. After nearly five days on the Vegas strip, a retreat to the country with my family was much needed. We visited once before, but hopefully we can head over that way more frequently. It is the most lovely, ideal spot for a grandchild to go visit her grandparents. Iris absolutely loves it (and so do I). And I’m sure you can see why…

Sponsored, Travel

TRAVEL LOVE: Our First Cruise

Going on a cruise is something I never thought I’d do. I’m usually more of a road-trip or fly-to-a-big-city kind of girl. But recently our family had the opportunity to experience our very first sailing adventure thanks to Carnival. After it’s all said and done, I must admit – sailing away on a cruise is something that I think everyone should do at least once in their life. I thought I knew what it would be like, but until you experience it, there’s no way to fully know. There’s something so cool about being on a huge ship, sailing through the middle of the ocean, and ending up in another country. You’re relaxed, but still with a destination – and someone else is doing all the work (while you sit back and drink a piña colada).

We boarded the Carnival Liberty in Galveston, Texas for a five day cruise to Cozumel and Progresso. Knowing nothing about the cruising lifestyle, I did my fair share of research ahead of time and I was really glad that I did. I’ll be sharing our trip across a couple of posts, as I feel like we fit five different vacations into just one trip and I have a million photos to prove it!

Carnival upgraded us to their VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) status, which I must say – certainly has its perks. We were able to bypass the line to board the ship, which made check-in a breeze. If you ever have the option of adding this on – DO IT! There were perks of the VIFP program throughout the entire trip, like not having to eat dinner at a set time and priority debarking as well.

Once we got onboard, we found our room which was surprisingly comfortable. We had our own private balcony, which certainly added to the comfort. Looking out onto the ongoing ocean is more beautiful than I expected (why don’t pictures ever do anything justice?), so it was a nice escape from the crowds around the ship. The beds were surprisingly roomy and and comfy, and Iris ended up loving her little spot.

After getting settled, we set off to explore the ship – and to grab a drink. It’s hard to realize just how big a cruise-liner is until you step on board. There were some things that we didn’t even discover until our very last day. So even though there were a few thousand people floating along with us, there were plenty of other places to go to escape the crowds. I’m excited to share the ins and outs of our days, and the tips we learned along the way. Till then, here are a few photos from our first exploration of the ship. Walking around on that first evening was so fun – everyone was so happy. As they should be, it was just the start of a big adventure.